Why Every Martial Arts and Tai Chi Instructor Needs a Content Plan to Attract More Students

Many forms of martial arts are growing in popularity across the United States. In 2024, there were over seven million practitioners nationwide, of all ages and genders. This trend is expected to continue, as the past several years have shown a consistent rise in enrollment numbers. 

What does that mean for your martial arts marketing efforts? A few things. You can count on potential students actively searching out a local school or dojo on search engines. You can also count on increasing competition from large franchise brand names or even free YouTube channels offering at-home instruction.

Your business needs to make the case for what your school provides and what makes it special. Luckily, digital marketing is an effective way to do that — and reach students you didn’t even know existed! 

We’ll cover some of the ways that effective content marketing can showcase the benefits of your discipline, instruction method, or legacy to your target audience and bring in a steady stream of new students. 

The Best Content Marketing Ideas for Martial Arts Schools

What is content marketing anyway? Local businesses can connect with both current students and potential clients by publishing blogs, videos, emails, and web pages that all provide useful, entertaining, or educational information. By incorporating keywords into this content it will also enhance your online presence by helping you rank more highly in search results.

“But I hate writing! And I don’t want to waste all my time making videos for social media channels!” We get it. Working with a full-service digital marketing agency that understands the martial arts industry can take the burden of ongoing content creation off your shoulders and let you focus on delivering high-quality martial arts training to your students. 

How exactly does this work? We’ll cover some of the best-performing content marketing campaigns for a martial arts school in 2025. You can request any of these martial arts marketing strategies in a customized plan — we tailor each one to your business rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. Give us a call today to get a customized quote.

Blog Writing for Tai Chi & Martial Arts Schools

Blogs are, in many ways, the backbone of the internet. When searching for martial arts information, people turn to their favorite search engine to ask their question. You can promote your school or instruction by being the one to address those questions.

Our dedicated blog-writing team works directly with you to brainstorm a series of topics that relate directly to your instruction and the kinds of topics that your target audience might be interested in. Then, they create keyword-rich, engaging content that builds your name recognition online. 

Blogging is most effective when it’s tailored to your particular business distinctions. Do you teach mixed martial arts? You can have a whole series explaining what that means. Do your students participate in traditional martial arts demonstrations and tournaments? Writing about those experiences is a great way to grow your school. 

Whatever your niche, blogging will establish your website as a credible source of information and direct more traffic to it, thereby increasing the number of organic leads you receive for your business. 

Email Marketing for Martial Arts

Gone are the days of simply posting flyers on a community bulletin board to get news out about an event. Online advertising is now the preferred marketing tactic when you have upcoming offers or events. 

Email marketing is a powerful marketing tool for bringing new students into your school. People are much more likely to add their email addresses to a sign-up list in exchange for an incentive, like free martial arts lessons. 

Once they are on your mailing list, that’s the perfect opportunity to offer free trial classes, referral programs, share triumphs and stories about recent competitions, or simply continue to encourage them to learn martial arts from you. These steady encouragements and incentives ultimately help get more students inside your doors. 

Our team can handle every element of your email strategy, from writing the content to A/B testing and segmentation. 

E-commerce Product Pages for Martial Art School Owners

When it comes to the individual pages on your website, it can be easy to forget that those pages are all content too! We recommend that every product page, service page, and landing page be completely optimized for search. This directs more high-intent searchers to you.

Furthermore, all of your web content should feature a conversion-focused design. That means that the next step the visitor should take is made extremely clear. For example, a large button in the middle of a product page or landing page could read “book your spot in a self-defense class now!” This makes it clear what action you want the visitor to take — book a class. 

Of course, you need to make sure that the button directs them to a page with easy-to-use, updated forms. The last thing you want them to see is a 404 error, or a list of past dates, or a “nothing available now” screen! Don’t worry — we can design those pages too.

SEO Content Writing Services for Tai Chi Instructors

Growing your martial arts school means going far beyond traditional marketing. If you want your online and offline strategies to work seamlessly together, it’s best to ensure that they are part of an overall strategic marketing plan. Your social media content should direct to your website, which should, in turn, encourage students to check out your service pages.

Comprehensive SEO writing services can make sure that your overall internet presence is working together to tell the story of your martial arts instruction. This is ultimately more effective than a patchwork approach that doesn’t convey a clear vision and enrollment path for students. 

Content Optimization for Martial Arts Schools

Did you know that invisible elements on your website could be damaging your search engine rankings? Content optimization is like a check-up for your website. Internet marketing professionals comb through all the nitty-gritty details of your website, like the schema markup, title tags, and mobile display optimization, to ensure that nothing is slowing it down or making it appear strange on visitors’ devices. 

In today’s always-online world, people notice a suboptimal browsing experience on any website. A one-time update can dramatically improve both user experience (UX) and search engine rankings. 

Social Media Content Creation for Martial Arts

Organic and paid advertising on social media platforms are both effective ways to showcase your martial arts school’s accomplishments and distinctives. To leverage social media effectively, though, you need to publish posts regularly and adhere to each platform’s best practices. Content that performs well on TikTok will differ from the content on X, for example. 

Our experienced social media content creation team can develop schedules and strategies to produce high-quality content that consistently attracts leads across multiple platforms. From video content to metrics tracking and reporting, we’ve got you covered.

FAQs: Effective Marketing Strategies to Grow a Martial Arts School

Our experts know the ins and outs of smart marketing strategies to help your martial arts school establish a strong online presence. 

We asked our pros some of the top questions we get from martial arts studio and gym owners to help you learn the best way to market your business. 

What kind of content helps martial arts and Tai Chi schools attract new students?

Each piece of your content should build trust with your ideal future students and showcase the culture of your school. For example, video marketing is great for showcasing your facilities or showing off a “day in the life” around the school. 

Blogs educate people on the history and values of your studio. Potential students — or their parents, if you teach children — want to know how you got started with martial arts and what your approach to teaching looks like. 

Testimonials and interviews are another great way to do this. If you have other instructors working for you, interview them for the blog or have a “meet the staff” section of your website! Starting a new sport or attending a new school can be intimidating, and publishing relatable content can help it seem more approachable. 

How often should martial arts instructors post new content?

While it varies depending on the platform, the rule of thumb is that consistency leads to steadier engagement. Algorithms won’t favor your content if you post a lot one month and then nothing for three months. Additionally, people are more likely to perceive your content as reliable if it’s up to date.

For blogs, posting once or twice a month is usually sufficient, though it’s important to try to link back to your core blog posts (like “how to find a tai chi teacher”) often. For social media channels, 3–4 times per week is standard. This is why we recommend developing posting schedules and content calendars, so all your work hours don’t go to brainstorming ideas for social media posts! 

Do videos or blog posts work better for promoting martial arts classes?

Video content is attention-getting and is a great way to drive new leads and engagement from social media channels. Shareable or educational content is a good way to boost your visibility online, as people who might not know that you offer local classes might recognize you from your online content — “that’s Jen, she does those kata demonstration videos!”

Blog posts don’t trend the way video does, but that means that they stick around longer and continue to build domain authority online for your website. This means that search engines are more likely to direct future traffic to your site. For evergreen topics, like “which is a good martial arts class for beginners,” this can provide a consistent source of new leads to your studio. 

Can content marketing really help small martial arts schools compete with bigger franchises?

People choose small, local schools because of the relationships they build there. Genuine, personalized content that celebrates the achievements and distinctives of your school helps students feel part of a community, which is something not offered by larger national franchise groups. 

How can email marketing help retain students or promote workshops?

Email marketing is a great way to offer tailored incentives to current students and build excitement around upcoming events. By dividing your email list into different groups, or segments, you can personalize the information you provide. This is more effective than just sending out one massive newsletter to everyone. 

For example, faithful students can receive detailed updates about special workshops or competitions along with instructions for registration and early-bird registration discounts. 

Casual students who haven’t attended in a while can receive emails encouraging them to give it another try with a discounted class or an incentive through a referral program — like BOGO workshop attendance when you bring a friend. 

Ready to get started with a customized content strategy? Request your free consultation with SEO Design Chicago today.